Thunderclap
by Morgan-Kaze-Tsukai
Summary: Their lives were turned upside down so suddenly, it was like a clap of thunder. One moment Onyx and Ryosuke were members of the most elite guild in Fiore, Crimson Angel, and the next, they were stuck trying to find their way out of another world with an alliance that couldn't work together to save their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hiiii :3 Here's a collab with my bestest buddy whose username I can't remember but will post at a later date. Basically we're really proud of this story and think we're absolutely hilarious so we hope you like it too yay {I'm posting this without her permission also so here's hoping I don't incur her wrath}**

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In a land far, far away,_lies the Kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of 17 million. It is a magical place filled with wizards, dragons, and many other mystical beings. Here, magic is a mundane part of life, a mere household tool, and can be bought and sold everywhere._

_ Although, for some, magic is an art that people devote their entire lives to master. They are known as wizards. Wizards band together in magical guilds to search for fame and fortune along with their comrades. Many guilds can be found in the land of Fiore._

_Most guilds are household names, such as Fairy Tail or Blue Pegasus, but one rests in a shroud of mystery, hidden deep in the mountains north of Fiore's capital city, Crocus. Only the elite of the elite and richest of the rich know about this guild, and due to this, they employ some of the highest paying jobs of all the guilds. But the location and members remain a mystery. Many believe that its very existence is merely a child's tale. All that's known of this top-secret guild is its name…_

_Crimson Angel. _

The dreams were coming back again. It wasn't exactly a nightmare, per say, yet it sent chills down the girl's spine ever fleeting moment she thought about it. Perhaps it was the melancholy interlaced with the rugged, gradually fading memories that made her blood turn cold. Maybe she became angry even though it had already been seven years since… _she _left. The only one she had ever called family.

It all started off the same way. Aqaurae would wake her up to the smell of breakfast. Nothing fancy at all, just fish cooked over a rock. They lived on a deserted island just off the coast of the mainland, as far as the young girl could tell, so any advanced resources were not within their grasp. But the girl was okay with that, because as long as she had her self-proclaimed mother by her side, she would be happy.

After breakfast, Aqaurae would take the girl exploring through the jungle of the island, teaching her about the wildlife and plants there. She also taught her to value every creature's life, as they were all equal to her. Even the plants and the bugs, no matter how pesky they could be, were the same as the girl.

The day would continue on as always, from magic training, to learning language and culture of the girl's species, all the way until the sun turned pink and they laid by the ocean and simply talked. But in the dream, the day ended in a peculiar way. The girl would try to talk to her mother, yet no response was given. Only silence. Eventually, the girl gave up, and could only wonder what she had done wrong.

Suddenly the sky turned black and Aqaurae shooed the girl away to her bed, only giving her a fleeting look of despair, before plodding off into the jungle. Once cuddled into a mound of soft leaves, the girl resolved to give her mother a special day tomorrow where she would cook for her, make her presents, do anything to relieve Aqaurae of her sadness.

Then suddenly it was daylight again, but immediately the girl knew something was off. Her mother was nowhere to be found. The girl was struck with horror, and immediately jumped out of her makeshift bed. She scrambled across the island, screaming out her mother's name, tripping and stumbling over roots and fallen branches.

But the reality of it all was that her mother was gone and the girl was alone again. She fell into a mess of hysterical sobbing, unable to speak anything other than a broken cry of her mother's name. But then suddenly, she heard a noise.

_"A-Aqaurae, mom is th-that y-you?"_ the girl managed to sputter out in between her sobs. When she got no response she merely lowered her head and continued to cry. But there it was again, but more distinguished.

_"M-…w,"_ It went, and it almost seemed as if it were coming down from the heavens. She wiped her nose and calmed herself enough to pay attention to her surroundings.

And there it was again. It was… a cat?

"Meow?"

The girl's eyes slowly fluttered open and she found herself face to face with a cat, perched on her chest and staring intently at her.

She smiled softly and rubbed the kitten's head, earning a purr in response. "Hey, kitty cat," she spoke in a voice still thick from sleep. "How'd you get in my room?"

"Mew!" She laughed and stroked the cat's back. It took her a few moments to realize that the cat hadn't opened its mouth to meow… and the meow had come from the other side of the room.

She shot straight up in her bed, now fully awake, and looked at the room around her, instantly confirming her fears.

There were cats in sitting in her closet. There were cats scratching at her door. There were cats sleeping on the windowsill, cats on her desk, cats, cats, cats, everywhere she looked. Then she realized where there were cats there was... "VITA!"

Just as she had suspected, the brunette waltzed out of her bathroom, a cheeky smirk present on her face. "Good morning, Onyx," She greeted in a sing-song voice.

"Vita," Onyx said, her tone dangerously even. "What are you doing in my room, and why is there a small army of cats?"

"I don't know that I would really call them a _small_ army," Mused Vita, much to Onyx's irritation. She loved her like her own sister, but sometimes, Vita was more than she could handle. Much more.

"Answer the question."

Vita put her hands up by her head. "Alright, alright! You're clearly not a morning person. Ryosuke sent me here."

The raven haired girl let out a groan and flopped back down onto her pillow. _Great,_ she thought. _First Vita, and now Ryosuke… I'm really going to be pushed to my limits today._

"She's waiting in the guild. She looks about ready to piss her pants in excitement, so if you don't want her to come drag you out of bed herself, you should get over there pretty quickly." With that, Vita was out the door, cats following close behind her.

It took a minute or two more of lying there, but Onyx eventually gathered up enough motivation to drag herself out of bed and get dressed. Vita was right; if she valued her life, she would be at the guild as soon as humanly possible.

She shoved shoes on and barely dragged a brush through her unruly black hair before rushing out the door of her apartment. Onyx was living in the apartment complex provided for her guild members, and although it was a bit pricey, jobs that she could pick were insanely high paying (the lowest being 600,000 jewel).

Onyx bade her apartment a quick farewell (Although hastily checking that the door _was _locked- god knows what these people could do) and headed through the complex toward the guild. As she passed by the common room, she noticed that the guild master's daughter was looking more… _irritable _than usual. Usually in situations like this you avoid seething twelve year olds, but Onyx felt the undying need to possibly be dismembered that day.

"Uzuri, how's your day been going?" She greeted the pre-teen in an overly chipper voice.

"Shouldn't you be working? Or do you just expect your money and food to be presented to you on a silver platter?" Uzuri snapped, clearly not in the mood for conversation.

"Why thank you, I'm doing wonderful," Onyx simply muttered in response. Shaking her head, she skipped out the door and into a small clearing.

The sight that greeted her was a normal day; nobody outside and playing (because they were all too busy gouging themselves until they were absolutely bloated), sun barely peeking through on the skyline due to the mountainous surroundings, no signs of civilization for at least a mile, and sounds of yelling and shouting from the guild hall. Home sweet home.

Onyx sighed as she made her way to the guild hall. While life in the guild was amazing and she was free to go to the capital whenever, there would always be a boundary between her and the people beyond the mountains for more reasons than could be specified.

As the door creeped open, the sight was disappointingly nothing unfamiliar. Orra was sulking in the corner with Kiara badgering him constantly to smell her new perfume (even though nobody would fall for that). Xabiis had Vita and her small ocean of cats swooning off his every word while Bure sent a few of said cats chasing after Kairu. The others were either still asleep or on a job. But Onyx knew there was _something _missing.

"ONYX!"

'_There we go,' _Onyx thought as her pink haired friend bounded up to her in an unusual ball of energy considering the time. "So what was so-"

"Oh my God, Onyx!" Ryosuke exclaimed, just as excited as Vita had warned. "I am _so_ happy right now!"

"And why is that?" She asked, honestly intrigued. Ryo's stories were definitely always… _interesting,_ to say the least.

"Don't even ask how I know, but I just found out that Hibiki Lates is going to Death's Bottletonight!" She gushed.

Although surprised that Ryosuke's newest obsession was going to such a shady pub, Onyx only offered up a blank stare in response. "That affects us how…?"

"It 'affects us' because I just found us a job," Ryosuke stated with a smug look, making Onyx worry what exactly Ryosuke was getting the pair into.

"So, what kind of '_job_' is this?"

Ryo was absolutely beaming down at her friend. "Starting tonight, we're bartenders!"

Ryo couldn't help but feel an odd sense of pride at the look of utter defeat on her shorter friend's face. She believed Onyx's exact words the other day had been, "Just find us a job, I don't really care what it is,", and she had done just that. Hell, she had done more than that. She found them an _entertaining_ job. Who wouldn't want to be paid to be drooled over by every guy who set eyes on them?

"Ryo…" Onyx muttered after taking a moment to collect herself. "Please tell me that this is a joke."

"I don't joke when it comes to Hibiki," assured Ryosuke. "What's so wrong with being a bartender, anyway? I think it'll be fun."

"You also thought that mission we did last week would be '_fun_', and that ended with us running through the mountains of Crocus and fighting a family of vulcans in dresses and heels. I don't know that I trust your judgment when it comes to these things anymore," Said Onyx, only halfway joking.

Ryosuke shuddered at the memory of the atrocity that was their mission last week. How was she supposed to know that a flyer that said 'cute boys' would be a trap? Besides, it wasn't like they were _completely _cheated on that job. They ended up catching a wanted thief (accidentally, of course) and were compensated by the police for their trouble. Maybe it wasn't as much as the request has stated, but it was still something. She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when an arm was slung around her shoulder.

"Hey, boo~"

Ryosuke's face lit up at the sight of one of her closest friends in the guild, Eeru. "Oh my God, Eeru! I haven't seen you in, like, a week!"

Before she knew it, she and the petite boy were embracing in a way that was all but suffocating. "I know, I'm so sorry, Ry-Ry! It's been far too long!"

As she watched her friends seemingly try to crush each other, it was all Onyx could do to laugh at the pair. "You know, I'm amazed that more people don't mistake you two for a couple."

Eeru snorted. "I love you girls more than anything, but we all know you're not my type."

"I'm pretty sure all of Fiore knows we're not your type," Commented Ryo, earning her a light punch to the shoulder.

"Eeruuu, she's gone and done it again," Onyx complained, pointing accusatorily at her pink haired friend.

The boy sent Ryosuke a pointed look. "It's not the Vulcans again, right? Tell me you actually read the flyer this time?"

"Oh my God, am I really that unreliable when it comes to jobs?" Ryosuke grimaced as her friends opened their mouths almost immediately. "Never mind. Don't answer that. But it's not a _bad_ job this time. It's a normal one; bartending!"

Eeru rolled his eyes. "That's all? Don't freak out so much, Onny. Bartending isn't _that_ bad-"

"It's at Death's Bottle," Onyx quickly interrupted. The teen shaped his mouth into an understanding 'o' and pulled the obsidian haired girl into an embrace.

"Well, then I hope for the best, and just remember 'stranger danger'," Eeru reminded apologetically.

"Guys, I don't understand the big deal out of this place. Hibiki is going there, so it obviously can't be all that bad," Ryosuke tried to reason.

"Yes, well, while younger guys _do_ go to this place, it's also a hotspot for…" Eeru paused with a grimace, then continued, "_older_ men, to put it lightly."

"So, it's a bar for old, perverted, Vulcan-like men?" Ryosuke inquired, trying to clarify.

"Exactly!" Onyx exclaimed. "We might as well be dealing with Vulcans again!"

Ryosuke took her sweet time mulling it over before coming to a realization. "Wait, if gross old men attack me, Hibiki can protect me! It'll be just like a cheesy romance movie. He'll save me from the pedophile, and our eyes will lock, our faces just a few inches away. He'll ask me if I'm hurt at all, and I'll look away and softly whisper, 'I don't know'. Then, he-"

"Hibiki is twenty years old," Interrupted Onyx, "and you're fifteen. Technically, that'd make him a pedophile, too."

"It's only a five year age difference!" Whined Ryosuke. "It's not that much!"

Onyx rolled her eyes. "Aside from that, are you even _considering_ my feelings on all of this?"

"Of course," Ryosuke said incredulously, slightly offended. "Do you honestly think I'm that selfish?"

"Well, when it comes to boys, you get a little… loopy…" Onyx offered up.

Ryosuke didn't have a chance to answer before Eeru cast her a sideways glance, corners of his mouth turning up in a slight smirk. "Oh, I get it," He said, fighting back a laugh. "Rumor has it…"

"…that two certain boys from Fairy Tail…" Ryosuke continued.

"…_are going to be in the capital tonight_," They finished simultaneously, Eeru adding, "Of course, they're here because the magic council was ordered to send them here by the king himself."

"I don't know why the king wants _those_ two here," The pink haired girl chimed in, "but I hear they have a track record of hitting up all the pubs in the towns they're in."

Eeru still sent a look back at Ryosuke. "I don't understand why it had to be Death's Bottle of all places, but you two haven't had some serious eye candy in a long time… not including me, of course."

Onyx rolled her eyes at her friend's over-the-top wink before finally responding. "Okay, okay, cool your jets and let me speak. First of all, it's really disturbing when you two finish each other's sentences, so stop. Please. Second, I'm not as creepy as two when it comes to guys, so that information was irrelevant to me, and third…. Ugh. Fine, I'll do it."

Ryosuke let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched 'yay' and hugged her two friends tightly, letting out a victorious scream of, "Wait for me, Hibiki!"

After hours upon hours of complaining and daydreaming about hot guys, the duo found themselves in dangerously tight, dangerously short, and dangerously low-cut black maid dresses, standing in front of what was possibly the shadiest pub in all of Fiore.

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Ryosuke all but sobbed, hugging her arms around her body. "I don't look good in this at all!"

Onyx glared at her. "You're the one who got us into this, so when we get violated it's on your conscious. Let's just get this over with."

With that, they threw open the doors, and nearly sprinted back out at the sight of it.

Just as Eeru had warned, there were men forty and up draped across the bar, cigarettes hanging from their lips and bottles littering every table. There were a few younger men, but they all looked either ready to fight or make out with anything within a five mile radius. And all eyes gathered on the two girls as soon as they showed their faces, and all became unsettlingly… _excited _to see them.

Ryosuke blanched. "Holy shit," she managed to stutter out.

Onyx took a deep breath to calm herself, then grabbed the tall girl's hand and dragged her behind the counter (although surprised she could see in the blindingly dim light). "If I die tonight, you're going down with me," was all she said.

It was barely a few second behind the counter before the first pervert found his way up to the girls. "Hey, ladies," He grinned, showing off rotting teeth. "Would you two bea_uties_ be kind enough to get me another beer?"

"It sounds like you've already had one too many," snapped Ryosuke, reaching for her keys. Onyx grabbed her friend's wrist and all but threw the man a can of beer.

"I know this is disgusting," She whispered through gritted teeth, "but if we want the money, we're going to just have to grin and bear it."

Ryosuke said nothing, simply looking away from her friend with a disgusted, 'hmph'.

And so, the night began. And it was every bit as awful as they thought it would be. For nearly four hours the two wizards were constantly poked, groped, and grabbed by greasy, shifty looking _geezers. _Ryosuke had two of the younger guys get in a fight over who would touch her boobs first and Onyx constantly had men looking up her skirt- literally getting on the floor and lifting the skirt up. Many men left the bar with a broken nose.

And progressively though the night, the pink haired girl grew weary, constantly wondering if getting the job here was really a good idea. When Onyx wasn't handing out shots or swatting away some wandering hand, she spent her time worrying about her friend. She was genuinely excited to meet the Blue Pegasus boy, and it was hard to watch as the energy slowly drained from her friend.

Finally, it was midnight. Every second had seemed to stretch into an hour, but their shift was finally over.

"That was hell," Ryosuke said, almost crying with relief. "Please don't let me choose jobs ever again."

Onyx snorted. "Like I would've let you put us through that again anyway."

The pink haired girl kicked the bar as hard as she could, wincing in pain when her toe connected with it. "To top it all off, Hibiki never even showed up. I should've known he wouldn't come somewhere as classless as this…"

Onyx couldn't help but feel bad for Ryosuke, and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's fine. I'm sure you'll see him some other time."

"But I've waited so long!" Ryo shouted, much to Onyx's surprise. Ryo shouted a lot, sure, but she was never legitimately upset when she did. This was the first time Onyx had seen her like this. "I've already waited years! I have to see him again!"

Onyx stared blankly at Ryosuke, who was absolutely breaking down before her eyes. _'See him again'? _She thought. _What the hell is she talking about?_ Sighing, she led her friend towards the door. "C'mon, let's find a place to change and get outta here."

_Click!_

The girls whipped their heads towards the open door, eyes widening as they looked at it.

Well, to be clearer, the door hadn't so much _opened_ as exploded before their very eyes.

As if by instinct, a sphere of water appeared in Onyx's palm, ready to be used however she needed, and Ryosuke whipped out one of her keys with a cry of, "Open, gate of the lion! Loke!"

Within a second the celestial spirit appeared before their eyes. He kissed Ryosuke's hand and sent the girl a flirty glance, greeting, "Hello, my darling, how may I be of service?"

Onyx glared at the being, and sassed out, "Fight now, flirt later! I think we have troub-"

A plethora of insane spurts of laughter filled the air as dust filled the entrance to the pub. Three silhouettes of people and one smaller, floating one could be seen in the midst of the mess. Then a loud, booming voice roared, "**_I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL SALAMANDER! AND I DEMAND THAT YOU SHOW ME THE GUILD CRIMSON ANGEL OR I WILL BARBEQUE ALL OF YOUR WRINKLY ASSES! AHAHAHAHAH!_**"

All noise stopped. Onyx's ball of water splashed to the ground. Ryosuke grabbed the lion's arm. The smoke slowly cleared away to reveal who was bringing on the impending attack. And the sight was not one for the faint of heart.

Standing in the doorway of the shittiest pub in the land were none other than the ones they had been waiting for all night; Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, and Hibiki Lates.

(Oh, and Happy, of course.)

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**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there's the first chapter :) Please, please, PLEASE review. I'm desperate to know what you guys think about this bc I'm really happy with it and I want you guys to be really happy with it too**


	2. Chapter 2

Natsu seemed to take in the environment, and once he noticed that there was a significant absence of older men, and turned his attention to the girls. "There you are!"

Onyx couldn't get her feet to move. '_There you are_'? What the hell did that mean? Did he somehow know they were in Crimson Angel?

"Waitresses, we're thirsty!"

Onyx and Ryo both let out heavy sighs of relief. He didn't know that they were members of the alleged guild. Although, a feeling of panic mustered up in Onyx's stomach. Only trouble could come if the other guilds were in search of Crimson Angel.

"Flame brain," Gray scoffed. "Don't be such a dick to them."

Apparently, Hibiki had already gotten that memo. Somehow, without the boys noticing it, he had made his way over to the girls, and was standing far too close to them to be considered normal.

"I agree, how dare he speak in such a way to these beautiful princesses?" He spoke in a smooth voice. "You both look absolutely lovely. Though, I feel horrible abusing the services of such a beauty. Perhaps… We could share a drink so you won't be so lonely."

Onyx cast a glance over to see how her pink haired friend was doing, and she wasn't surprised to see Ryo's entire face bright red and her eyes absolutely sparkling.

"Th-thank you," Squeaked Ryosuke, her voice at least an octave higher than usual. "I-I-I'd like th-that, I'd l-l-l-like tha-t-t al-l-lot."

Onyx tried to contain her laughter. As much as Ryosuke loved being flirted _with_, she couldn't flirt back to save her life. She just froze up around boys, and Onyx always found it quite entertaining and usually comes in to save her. Usually.

"Look, I'm sure you guys are thirsty or whatever," she said, backing away from Hibiki, "but if you didn't notice, this pub _just_ clo-OW!"

She was cut off by a hard stomp to the foot by Ryo. The blushing girl beamed up at Hibiki. "You guys can stay as long as you'd like."

Onyx sent her a dirty look, but said nothing.

"So, may we ask what your names are?" Hibiki asked. Maybe Onyx's eyes were playing tricks on her, but she could've sworn he was actually _sparkling_. Maybe the exhaustion was finally getting to her.

"I'm Ryosuke, but you can call me Ryo if you'd like, Hibiki. Oh, and that's Onyx," Ryo answered immediately.

"Call her Ryosuke," Loke chimed in, absolutely glaring at Hibiki, while wrapping a tight arm around the pink-haired teen. "Don't get so comfortable with her."

Ryosuke's eyes lit up and got a whimsical look on her face, and it didn't take Onyx long to guess that she was fantasizing about the two fighting over her. This was the sort of situation that Ryo always dreamed about.

"So, _anyways, _do you guys know about Crimson Angel? It's a wizard's guild that's supposed to be located around here," Natsu broke her train of thought as he asked between beers. He was chugging bottles at the speed of light, but then, so was Gray. Onyx assumed they were having some sort of drinking contest.

Ryo and Onyx both stiffened, sending each other panicked looks as they stuttered, trying to cover up the truth.

"I, uh, well, you know, guilds are such crazy things, ah…." Ryo sputtered out.

Onyx nodded enthusiastically, "Y-yeah, you know how the guilds… they do the thing…"

"But we don't know about guilds and the thing!"

"Yep, yep! N-nothing at all! No things to do or be done! Nowhere 'round here!"

The boys all stared blankly at them, Gray finally voicing what they were all thinking: "What?"

"Okay, if you didn't know anything, just say so, sheesh," Natsu muttered, continuing to chug down rather unhealthy amounts of beers.

'_Damn, that was suspicious, what to do…' _Onyx cursed to herself. She sent a slightly apologetic look to Ryosuke, who was rubbing her neck sheepishly, and put on a fake look of realization. "Oh, wait! I know what you're talking about!"

Looks of surprise, disbelief, and panic were what Onyx could see, and Ryo could be seen mouthing the words, 'what the hell do you think you're doing' and 'Kurayami will be pissed'.

"Huh, then why didn't you just say so before?" Gray questioned.

"Please princess," Hibiki asked, sending the teen a rather glamorous look for a straight man, "Tell us what you know."

Onyx scooted a little the other way. "Yeah… right. Well sorry to burst your bubble, but Crimson Angel isn't a real guild. It's just a bedtime story."

"I find it hard to believe that the king would force us into an alliance over a guild that doesn't exist," commented Gray, shooting Onyx a skeptical look. "Something there doesn't seem right."

"Well, the Magic Council wants us dead; maybe the king does, too. Do you think this is a trap?" Asked Natsu.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that you guys got a mission that has to do with Crimson Angel?" Ryosuke cut in, managing to compose herself enough to speak. "What do they want you guys to do?"

Gray shrugged at her. "We don't really know. All they said was to get the strongest members of Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus together in the capital for a mission pertaining to that guild. We didn't get any details."

"Are you sure that's all you know of Crimson Angel?" Hibiki asked, tilting Ryosuke's chin up towards him. "Something tells me there's more to your story, princesses. Would you be so kind as to tell me?"

Ryo squeaked. "Kya!"

"Man, all this talk about jobs is stressing me out," Gray commented, pulling off his shirt as he spoke. "Shorty, you look tired. Come drink with us."

Onyx glared at him, trying her hardest not to look at his exposed abs. "First of all, put your shirt on. Second, don't call me 'shorty'. Third, I'm underage." She made her way over to the table and seated herself between Natsu and Gray.

"I thought you said you couldn't drink," Questioned Natsu.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Does that mean I can't just sit with you guys?"

He beamed at her. "Now I'm all fired up! Get us some more beers and come sit next me and Mr. Public Nudist over here."

Onyx rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist."

Onyx quickly went to the back room, which held most of the beer cans. She grabbed a few, and when her stomach rumbled, she snatched one of the chip bags (This place was really cheap, so no nachos for Onyx) and headed back to table.

"Beer for you guys and food for me, and _no_," She scolded as Natsu's hand slowly drifted towards the bag of chips, "You cannot have any, Natsu."

"So be honest with us, what's the big deal with the whole 'Crimson Angel' thing?" Gray questioned, sipping his drink.

"I mean, it's like fairies, nobody knows if they actually existed, but who knows; maybe this guild is actually around somewhere," Onyx explained, thanking whoever about her amazing acting (lying, really) skills, "Although, I highly doubt it. It doesn't make sense that nobody has ever heard of any activity from this guild."

"So, then why did you two seem so nervous?" Natsu asked.

Onyx glared at the fire mage, "Sorry for being socially awkward. Anyway, didn't you have a… flying mouse or something like that with you?"

"Oh, you mean Happy? He's over in the corner sulking because everyone ignored his existence," Natsu said, pointing over to a corner, way over on the other side of the pub. Onyx noticed that Loke had joined the cat over in the corner, and seemed to be seething and writing a list of ways of how to murder Hibiki.

'_Does everyone in Fiore have a screw loose?' _Onyx grumbled to herself. "Well, anyways, I do know a little about magical guilds. At least, as much as I can learn from _Sorcerer Weekly_."

"Really?" Natsu quipped, perking up. "Well then you must know about Fairy Tail!"

"Yeah I do. That's why I'm a bit curious why two of the most notorious wizards from Fairy Tail ended up in a sketchy bar meant for 40 and up," Onyx questioned the two.

"I wash hungry," Natsu answered after stealing one of Onyx's chips (and she slapped his hand accordingly).

"You're right, it's a sketchy place," Gray admitted, "Which is why _I'm _curious that a girl like you works at this place. You _gotta _be classier than this."

Onyx felt herself blushing for some reason as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Y-yeah, well, Ryo and I haven't had a job for a while and she heard from god knows where that Captain Sparkles over there was going to be here and well… Here we are!"

"I'm surprised you went through with it," Gray said, glancing over at the pink haired girl who was blushing like a mad man.

"She's my best friend," Onyx stated, shrugging, "I mean, she's gotten into some absolutely horrid situations, but… She's basically my sister. It wouldn't be the same without her."

Gray smiled at Onyx's statement, but only for a brief moment. "By the way," he said, "that's a celestial spirit, isn't it? Are you two wizards?"

Onyx nodded proudly. "Yup. I use water magic, and Ryo has, like, _a bunch_ of gate keys."

Natsu examined her questioningly. "You're a wizard? What guild are you guys in?"

"Stop prying!" Onyx snapped, changing the subject. "Worry about your tab instead. You owe…. about 12,000 J."

Natsu choked on his own spit while Gray started laughing hysterically at his friend. "Hey, remember when you requested that we have to absolutely get a drink? I think your words were, '_Don't worry, I'll pay for everything'_. Have fun bunking in Erza's dorm once we get back!" 

Nastu became extremely pale and scrambled over to his pouting cat friend in the corner. "Happy, you gotta help me! I can't live with Erza! I _want to live, Happy_!"

"Of course Natsu forgot," Gray mentioned, leaning over towards the obsidian haired girl next to him, "That the job we're currently on pays an ass-load of jewel, so he's honestly got nothing to worry about."

"You both are ridiculous," Onyx muttered, although she laughed to herself. These people were idiots, but nice idiots, and she felt like she could definitely get used to their company.

On the other side of the bar, Ryosuke sat with Hibiki, observing his every move as though she'd never see him again.

"So, princess," He began, looking her up and down, causing her to hug her arms around her body. "I see you're dressed as a maid. How demeaning of them, making you dress as a servant to work here. Unless, of course, you chose that outfit…?"

She shook her head, cheeks glowing red. "N-no, this was the uniform for working here…"

He smirked, his face inches away from her own. "What a pity. I thought that if you liked dressing up, we might have been able to have a little _fun_."

Her hand was clapped against her nose in an instant, but that didn't stop him from seeing the steady trickle of blood flowing out of it.

She tried to answer him, but only managed to embarrass herself further with her incoherent stuttering. "We-well, if y-ou li-l-like tha-t k-k-ki-kind of th-thin-g…" 

Loke's presence had been somehow previously been ignored, but he couldn't sit in silence any longer. He grabbed the pink-haired girl's head and pulled it to his chest. "Are you serious?" He spat. "She's not even sixteen! Don't go saying such disgusting things to her!"

Ryo stared at her spirit, completely unamused. "You know, Loke," she said, "I seem to remember you saying things just like that to me. You didn't care how old I was then."

"That's different," He said, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Why are you even still here?!" She shouted at him, losing her temper.

Hibiki laughed at the exchange, and it was entirely possible that his laugh was the most beautiful sound Ryosuke had ever heard. Ever. "You're extremely cute."

Ryosuke froze in her spot, a memory engulfing her.

_"Hibiki, I can't get it!" a younger Ryosuke whined, pouting. "None of them will open!"_

_ He laughed, reaching down to ruffle her hair. "Hey, it's okay. Just some more practice, and you could be the strongest mage in all of Blue Pegasus! Keep trying, kiddo."_

_ "I'm not a kid!" She insisted, her pouting intensifying. "I'm ten years old! That's a whole decade!"_

_ "Whatever you say, Ryo," He said, grinning down at her. Back then, their height difference was even more significant. "Now, try just one more time. 'Open, gate of the giant crab, cancer'. Just like that."_

_ Determined not to let the older boy down, Ryosuke took a deep breath, then thrust the key out in front of her and said the words exactly as he had. Still, nothing happened._

_ "Ugh!" She groaned in frustration. "Maybe I'll just give up being a wizard and start working at the bar, like Miss Jenny. That'll work, right?"_

_ Once again, he laughed at the pink haired girl. "You know, Ryo, you're extremely cute."_

"Ryosuke? Are you alright?" She was snapped from her fantasy when she heard Hibiki's voice, laced with concern.

She blinked a few times, then smiled softly at him. "Y…yeah, I'm alright. Hey, Hibiki…" she began, even more bashful than before. "You… you don't… know who I am, do you?"

He looked at her for a moment before beginning his sparkling act once again. "I'm afraid all I know of you is your name, princess. I'd love to spend more time with you, though, and get to know just how beautiful you are on the inside, as well."

She wasn't charmed this time, though. She simply sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought…"

They were all startled when the lacrima vision suddenly flickered on, revealing who Onyx assumed was the king.

"Attention. If the designated members of Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus have arrived, they are to report to the capitol building immediately. That is all."

Natsu groaned. "Gah, I hardly got to drink anything."

"I think that's a bit of an understatement," Onyx muttered under her breath, looking at the array of bottles he left at the table.

"Stop whining, we're gonna get a lot of money off of this job," Gray snapped, heading out the door with Natsu trailing him as they bickered. "Oh, and Happy, stop sulking! We're leaving!"

Hibiki lifted Ryo's hand to his lips, making her look like she might just burst into flames at any given moment. "I hope to see you again sometime, beautiful," He whispered with a wink before following the two Fairy Tail boys.

The moment he was out of earshot, Ryo turned to Onyx. "We have to follow them."

Onyx looked at her friend like she was absolutely mad. "Are you kidding me, Ryo? Why would we do that?"

"Don't you want to know what they want with Crimson Angel?" Ryosuke pushed, beginning to back towards the door. "I sure as hell do."

Onyx tried to come up with a reason not to follow them, but came up empty handed. Besides, she had to admit that she was pretty tempted to see what they wanted. Finally, she let out a defeated sigh. "Great, now we get to run around the biggest city in Fiore in maid's dresses. Tonight just gets better and better."

"I think that sounds lovely," Loke spoke, having regained his charm when Hibiki left. "Mind if I watch?"

Ryo's cheeks turned bright red. "D-damn it, Loke!" She stuttered, and took out his key once again. "Just go back to the celestial spirit world!"

Once the flirty lion was gone, Onyx looked at her friend expectantly. "So? Are we following them or not?"

Ryosuke let out a giddy squeal and clapped her hands a few times before grabbing her friend's arm and dragging her after the boys, all but sprinting.

It didn't come to a surprise that following the boys was an easy task. Ryo and Onyx stayed a relatively safe distance away, but to be honest, they could've been screaming bloody murder without the boys noticing. They were all too wrapped up in their own conversation, leaving the duo plenty of opportunity to make as much noise as they wanted.

Things grew harder as they approached the capitol building, though. There were some of the king's servants waiting outside the castle for the men, but Onyx and Ryosuke were stuck trying to find their own way in.

"Damn it," Ryosuke cursed, peering out from behind a tree, "How the hell are we supposed to get in there when it's so heavily guarded?"

Onyx shrugged and sent her friend a pointed look, "I don't care what we do, as long as I'm not standing on your shoulders trying to climb through a window."

Ryosuke's shoulders fell and she leaned against the tree she had been hiding behind. She scanned her eyes all around her surroundings before slumping down to the ground. "I guess we sit here until we come up with something."

"Shit. What's gonna happen if people find out about the guild?" Onyx wondered, a hint of worry dashed in her words. "I mean, from the folk lore I've found, Crimson Angel doesn't have the best reputation."

Ryo glared at the bush across from her and stubbornly crossed her arms. "We'd better not get any crap. We've saved the people of Fiore's asses multiple times in the last couple of years and they don't even know it."

Onyx wistfully looked at a two kids running down the sidewalk only twenty feet from her. "Yeah, they don't know, but what if they did? We could be considered heroes. Not to mention it'd be nice to not be in hiding."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's pretty awesome being the best of the best, though," Ryosuke smirked. 

"Unless you're a twenty-five year old cat-lady," Onyx joked.

"Meh, Vita isn't all that bad. I mean, at least not if you don't mind every piece of clothing you own being covered in fur." Ryosuke joked. Ryo saw her friend smile fondly at the thought of their guild-mate before seeing Onyx's eyes suddenly light up. "What is it?"

"Okay, so this is an absolutely terrible idea. It's basically something that _you _would come up with, but," Onyx paused, contemplating if her plan was really all that good of an idea after all. "I think I just found us a way into the castle."

"What are you…" Ryosuke trailed off before finding the spot Onyx had her gaze fixated on. At that moment, Ryosuke swore she was genuinely considering shoving her gate keys down her friend's throat. Walking in a huge group straight towards the door to the capitol building were about 50 girls…

…Dressed in skimpy maid outfits.

"You're shitting me," Ryosuke stated in utter disbelief. "You have got to be shitting me right now."

Onyx glared purposefully at the pink haired girl. "Look, do you want to know what they're saying about Crimson Angel in there? Or should we just go back to the guild and await certain death?"

"I hate when you're right," Ryosuke groaned, standing and dusting off her dress. "And here I was thinking we were done with perverts for the night…"

Onyx scoffed. "You should know by now… in our lives, we're never done with the perverts."

With that, they made their way over and hopped in the line.

"I hope the king likes me," Sighed one girl in front of them. "My plan is to have an affair with him, and then leak it anonymously. I'd get famous overnight!"

Her friend laughed. Well, it was less of a _laugh_ and more of a nasally sort of howl. "You sure you want to be known as the king of Fiore's mistress?"

The girl shrugged. "Well, that's what he asked for all these 'maids' for, isn't it? Because he was getting tired of banging the queen?"

The other one cackled once again. "Ah, Jillian, you're too much!"

Behind the pair, Onyx and Ryosuke were feeling absolutely nauseous. "Just what exactly did we get ourselves into?" Onyx questioned darkly.

"I think you know what," replied Ryo, voice just as low.

Before they knew it, they found themselves at the front of the line, where two guards stood, swords crossed over the door. "No more for today. Go home."

Onyx stared up at them, jaw dropped. "No way. I did _not_ just stand there listening to plans to bang the king while wearing a maid's uniform for nothing. I'm not letting this become the vulcans again."

"Miss, I don't know what you're talking about," Spoke the other guard, clearing his throat, "but if you don't leave, we'll have to use force."

Ryosuke smiled overly-sweetly up at the guards. "If you don't let us pass through this instant, we'll be forced to castrate you using plastic spoons. Do you know how long that would take? Hours and hours and hours of sawing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…"

Both men were visibly cringing at the thought, but they didn't move from their positions. "If you threaten us again, we'll have no choice but to hurt you."

Ryosuke pouted, frustrated that her plan didn't work. _Well, if threats don't work, it's on to the oldest trick in the book…_

But Onyx was already a step ahead of her. Without her friend even noticing, she had slipped around the corner, and let out a scream. "Help! Help me, please!"

Naturally, the guards ran over to the source of the sound, and Onyx, who had been ducking behind a bush, sprinted back to Ryosuke, yanking her through the door at top speed.

They were both grinning manically as they dashed through the halls of the castle, looking for the throne room. "I can't believe that _actually_ worked!" Ryosuke laughed as they sprinted up yet another flight of stairs. "How did-"

Ryosuke's words were cut short when she found Onyx crouched beside the first door on this floor, finger pressed urgently to her lips.

Ryo glanced through the door and instantly mimicked her friend's position when she saw none other than the boys and the king.

"Thank you for gathering here today."

Onyx and Ryo arrived at the capitol building just as the king was beginning to speak. The two girls gently leaned against the slightly cracked doors to the king's throne room and pressed their ears against the door.

"As your guild masters have informed you, the three of you are gathered here to assist with a mission regarding the guild Crimson Angel," He continued. "They are registered as an official guild, however, all that's known of them is their name, and the guild master's name, Kurayami. We know nothing of its whereabouts or its members. No one has ever even seen one of the angels, to our knowledge. Every job accepted by this guild is equivalent to or higher than one of your 'S-Class' jobs, so we have reason to believe that they're extremely strong, ."

"What are we supposed to do about that?" Asked Natsu, blunt as always. "It sounds like you guys know all you need to."

"Quite the opposite," The king said. "As I previously said, all we know is the name of the guild master and that they have talented mages. We believe they might be a threat to the kingdom."

Onyx had to clamp her hand over Ryosuke's mouth to keep her from storming into the room and screaming about how the angels were likely Fiore's greatest protectors, how they had no reason to harm Fiore, etc., etc.

"With all due respect," Hibiki said, "I agree with Natsu. If you know nothing at all of this guild, how do you expect us to find them?"

The king smiled smugly, seemingly proud that he had already thought of that. "I don't expect you to find the angels; the angels will find _you_."

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked, eyeing the man skeptically.

"As I said, they seem to flock to challenging jobs like moths to a flame. Therefore, it stands to reason that if we _create_ a challenge for them, they'll take it up in an instant."

'Create _a challenge' for us?_ Onyx thought. _What the hell is this guy spewing?_

"And what is this 'challenge'?" Hibiki prodded.

The king's smug smile brightened, making him look absolutely mad. The girls were beginning to worry just what he was trying to do to their guild.

"We've released Midnight of the Oración Seis from jail."

Natsu's eyes looked about ready to bug out of his head. "ARE YOU SHITTIN' ME, OLD MAN?!" He shouted, a few small flames flying from his lips. "YOU'RE WILLING TO WIPE OUT ALL OF FIORE JUST TO FIND _ONE_ GUILD?!"

"I hate to say it, but the flame brain is right," Gray agreed. "That's a little extreme. Can't you just ask them what's up with their guild?"

The king giggled, affirming his insanity. "Don't worry; Fiore is in no danger at all. You three will accompany them."

_"WHAT, REALLY?" _Ryosuke whisper-shouted, and leaned harder against the door. In return the door swung all the way open, sending the pink haired teen toppling to the ground. Not before she grabbed Onyx's arm, of course, resulting in both girl's face planting onto the cold marble floor. In the middle of the throne room.

Surprisingly, though, the king wasn't fazed. He actually… _giggled_?

"Well, what do you know, men?" He mused, face too sinister for such a whimsical voice. "It seems the first two angels have already found us."


End file.
